UEFA PLAYOFFS...

Interim coach Lionel Scaloni admits he's uncertain if Lionel Messi will return to the national team, but is optimistic for the newcomers to the side.

The Nations League is giving European national team football a welcome shot of competitive action. A similar thing happened to South America in 1996, when the current marathon format of World Cup qualification was introduced.

Until that point, the continent's 10 teams were split into groups. The process was a quick one, and there were times when the teams -- especially those who failed to make the cut -- would have massive gaps between competitive fixtures.

Alejandro Dominguez and CONMEBOL's decision to change the Copa America schedule is controversial.

There are two highly significant dates in the development of national team football in South America.

One is 1916, when the Copa America got underway. The world's first continental competition, it was held frequently in the early years -- at times annually -- and was responsible for a rapid rise in playing standards. Indeed, a straight line connects the Copa with the birth of the World Cup 14 years later. Uruguay's gold medals in the Olympics of 1924 and 28 made a compelling case for the view that...

In the four-year cycle of international football, the year that follows a World Cup is silly season for South American countries.

Competitive action does not resume until next June, with the Copa America in Brazil, but even though there is a title at stake, the primary aim for many coaches will be to prepare a squad for 2022 qualifiers, which begin toward the end of 2019.

Until then, there is nothing but friendlies. Many are money-chasing exercises played around the world, but that does not render...